Malhotra Mr05 Ppt 22(1)

© 2007 Prentice Hall 22-1

Chapter Twenty-Two

Report Preparation and Presentation


Report FormatI. Title pageII. Letter of transmittalIII. Letter of authorizationIV. Table of contentsV. List of tablesVI. List of graphsVII. List of appendicesVIII. List of exhibitsIX. Executive summary

a. Major findingsb. Conclusionsc. Recommendations


Report FormatX. Problem definition

a. Background to the problemb. Statement of the problem

XI. Approach to the problemXII. Research design

a. Type of research designb. Information needsc. Data collection from secondary

sourcesd. Data collection from primary sourcese. Scaling techniques f. Questionnaire development and

pretestingg. Sampling techniquesh. Fieldwork


Report Format

XIII. Data analysis

a. Methodology

b. Plan of data analysis

XIV. Results

XV. Limitations and caveats

XVI. Conclusions and recommendations

XVII. Exhibits

a. Questionnaires and forms

b. Statistical output

c. Lists


TNS-Global Guidelines: Title Page

Use client language in title – avoid "research-eze.”

"Practices Followed in Selecting Long-Distance Carriers“ is better than "Long-Distance Service Study.”

“Customers' Reactions to an Expanded Financial/ Insurance Relationship” is better than "Relationship Study."


TNS-Global Guidelines:Conclusions

Conclusions concerning, for example: customer behavior customer attitudes or perceptions the nature of the markets studied

Generally, in studies with samples designed to represent the market. Avoid interesting results that are not relevant to the conclusions.

May be in the form of statement or paragraphs

Use subheadings to identify conclusions covering different subjects or market segments


TNS-Global Guidelines:for Recommendations

Recommendations regarding actions that should be taken or considered in light of the research results: Add/drop a product What to say in advertising__advertising positioning Market segments to select as primary targets How to price product Further research that should be considered

Should be related to the stated purpose of the research.

Sometimes omitted, for example: Client staff members want to author the recommendations Study designed merely to familiarize client with a market

Most clients are interested in our suggestions, in spite of the fact that we may not be familiar with internal financial issues and other internal corporate factors.


Report Writing Readers. A report should be written for a specific reader

or readers: the marketing managers who will use the results.

Easy to follow. The report should be easy to follow. It should be structured logically and written clearly.

Presentable and professional appearance. The looks of a report are important.

Objective. Objectivity is a virtue that should guide report writing. The rule is, "Tell it like it is."

Reinforce text with tables and graphs. It is important to reinforce key information in the text with tables, graphs, pictures, maps, and other visual devices.

Terse. A report should be terse and concise. Yet, brevity should not be achieved at the expense of completeness.


Guidelines for Tables Title and number. Every table should have a number (1a) and

title (1b).

Arrangement of data items. The arrangement of data items in a table should emphasize the most significant aspect of the data.

Basis of measurement. The basis or unit of measurement should be clearly stated (3a).

Leaders, rulings, spaces. Leaders, dots or hyphens used to lead the eye horizontally, impart uniformity and improve readability (4a). Instead of ruling the table horizontally or vertically, white spaces (4b) are used to set off data items. Skipping lines after different sections of the data can also assist the eye. Horizontal rules (4c) are often used after the headings.

Explanations and comments: Headings, stubs, and footnotes. Designations placed over the vertical columns are called headings (5a). Designations placed in the left-hand column are called stubs (5b). Information that cannot be incorporated in the table should be explained by footnotes (5c).

Sources of the data. If the data contained in the table are secondary, the source of data should be cited (6a).


U.S. Auto Sales 2000 - 2004

TABLE 22.1 U.S. Automotive Sales 2000-2004

Unit Sales MFG 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

GM 4,953,000 4,898,517 4,858,705 4,756,403 4,707,416 Ford 4,933,000 4,661,685 4,146,000 3,811,000 3,623,000

Chrysler 2,470,000 2,196,000 2,277,000 2,129,000 2,287,000 Honda 1,656,981 1,787,882 1,780,133 1,982,000 2,103,000 Toyota 1,158,860 1,207,639 1,346,000 1,558,000 1,575,000 Nissan 744,000 695,640 726,000 856,000 1,013,000 Other* 1,901,158 1,752,637 1,966,162 1,907,597 1,991,584 Total 17,817,000 17,200,000 17,100,000 17,000,000 17,300,000

* - includes all other producers Source: Company Websites

1b

1a

3a

5b

5a

4c

2a 4a 4b

6a 5c


Guidelines for GraphsGeographic and Other Maps

Geographic maps can pertain to countries, states, counties, sales territories, and other divisions.

Chapter 21 showed examples of product-positioning.


Guidelines for GraphsRound or Pie Charts

In a pie chart, the area of each section, as a percentage of the total area of the circle, reflects the percentage associated with the value of a specific variable.

A pie chart is not useful for displaying relationships over time or relationships among several variables.

As a general guideline, a pie chart should not require more than seven sections.


Pie Chart of 2004 U.S. Auto Sales

Fig. 22.2


Guidelines for Graphs Line Charts

A line chart connects a series of data points using continuous lines.

This is an attractive way of illustrating trends and changes over time.

Several series can be compared on the same chart, and forecasts, interpolations, and extrapolations can be shown.


Line Chart of Total U.S. Auto SalesFig. 22.3


Guidelines for GraphsLine Charts

A stratum chart is a set of line charts in which the data are successively aggregated over the series.

Areas between the line charts display the magnitudes of the relevant variables.


Fig. 22.4

Stratum Chart of Total U.S. Auto Sales


Guidelines for Graphs Pictographs

A pictograph uses small pictures or symbols to display the data.

Pictographs do not depict results precisely. Hence, caution should be exercised when using them.


Pictograph for 2004 U.S. Auto Sales

Fig. 22.5

*Each Symbol Equals 1,000,000 Units


Guidelines for GraphsHistograms and Bar Charts

A bar chart displays data in various bars that may be positioned horizontally or vertically.

The histogram is a vertical bar chart and in which the height of the bars represents the relative or cumulative frequency of occurrence of a specific variable.


Figure 22.6

Histogram of 2004 U.S. Auto Sales


Guidelines for Graphs Schematic Figures and Flow Charts Schematic figures and flow charts take on a

number of different forms. They can be used to display the steps or components of a process, as in Figure 22.1.

Another useful form of these charts is a classification diagram. Examples of classification charts for classifying secondary data were provided in Chapter 4 (Figs. 4.1 to 4.4).

An example of a flow chart for questionnaire design was given in Chapter 10 (Figure 10.2).

Malhotra Mr05 Ppt 22(1)

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